A pendulum is a rigid body suspended from a fixed point (hinge) which is offset with respect to the body's center of mass. If all the mass is assumed to be concentrated at a point, we obtain the idealized simple pendulum. Pendulums have played an important role in the history of dynamics. Galileo identified the pendulum as the first example of synchronous motion, which led to the first successful clock developed

In this lecture, we consider the motion of a 3D rigid body. We shall see that in the general three dimensional case, the angular velocity of the body can change in magnitude as well as in direction, and, as a consequence, the motion is considerably more complicated than that in two dimensions. Rotation About a Fixed Point We consider first the simplified situation in which the 3D body moves in such a way that there is always a point, O, which is fixed. It is clear that, in this case, the path of any point in the rigid body which is at a

In lecture D9, we saw the principle of impulse and momentum applied to particle motion. This principle was of particular importance when the applied forces were functions of time and when interactions between particles occurred over very short times, such as with impact forces. In this lecture, we extend these principles to two dimensional rigid body dynamics. Impulse and Momentum Equations Linear Momentum In lecture D18, we introduced the equations of motion for a two dimensional rigid body. The linear momen- tum for a system of particles is defined

In this lecture, we will revisit the principle of work and energy introduced in lecture D7 for particle dynamics, and extend it to 2D rigid body dynamics. Kinetic Energy for a 2D Rigid Body We start by recalling the kinetic energy expression for a system of particles derived in lecture D17

An accelerometer is a device used to measure linear acceleration without an external reference. The main idea has already been illustrated in the previous lecture with the example of the boy in the elevator. Clearly, if we know the weight of the boy when the acceleration is zero, we can determine from the reading on the scale the value of the acceleration. In summary, the acceleration will produce an inertial force on a test mass, and this force can be nulled and measured with precision. Below we have sketch of a very simple one axis accelerometer

Non-Inertial Reference Frame Gravitational attraction The Law of Universal Attraction was already introduced in lecture D1. The law postulates that the force of attraction between any two particles, of masses M and m, respectively, has a magnitude, F, given by F= (1) where r is the distance between the two particles, and G is the universal constant of gravitation. The value of G is empirically determined to be

In the previous lectures we have described particle motion as it would be seen by an observer standing still at a fixed origin. This type of motion is called absolute motion. In many situations of practical interest, we find ourselves forced to describe the motion of bodies while we are simultaneously moving with respect to a more basic reference. There are many examples were such situations occur. The absolute motion of a passenger inside an aircraft is best

In addition to the equations of linear impulse and momentum considered in the previous lecture, there is a parallel set of equations that relate the angular impulse and momentum. Angular Momentum We consider a particle of mass, m, with velocity v, moving under the influence of a force F. The angular momentum about point O is defined as the \moment\ of the particle's linear

We have seen that the work done by a force F on a particle is given by dw =. dr. If the work done by F, when the particle moves from any position TI to any position T2, can be expressed as, W12=fdr=-(V(r2)-V(1)=V-v2, (1) then we say that the force is conservative. In the above expression, the scalar

In lecture D2 we introduced the position velocity and acceleration vectors and referred them to a fixed cartesian coordinate system. While it is clear that the choice of coordinate system does not affect the final answer, we shall see that, in practical problems, the choice of a specific system may simplify the calculations considerably. In previous lectures, all the vectors at all points in the trajectory were expressed in the